The “Eat Clean” Series by Tosca Reno. Tosca’s Eat Clean plan is so simple: She believes in eating sensible portions of real, unprocessed food. This, she says, will keep your energy levels high and your body fat low. That’s it. There’s nothing tricky or needlessly complicated about it, and her guidelines for eating are easily adaptable to nearly every restaurant.
All of her “Eat Clean” books’ recipes are simple to whip up and would never be confused with “diet food.”
For people on the go—and I’ll bet that’s nearly all of us—I highly recommend making Tosca’s oatmeal protein bars. The protein keeps you satiated, and the dark chocolate chips taste delicious. I make a bunch at a time, freeze them, and pop them in the microwave as a snack.
“Sound Mind, Sound Body” by David Kirsch. After a big holiday or vacation, I whip out this book. David’s no-excuses approach gets me right back on the wagon. Sure, his teachings are boot camp-esque, but if you really digest them and put them into practice, you’ll see results—fast—and I find that’s a great motivator. Just a note: You’ll be eating a lot of egg whites.
“5-Factor Fitness” by Harley Pasternak. If you don’t have—or don’t want to—spend a lot of time at the gym, buy this book. Harley teaches you how to work out effectively in just five-minute increments, which frankly, are all I have sometimes.
Having read “5-Factor Fitness”, I now know how to squeeze in a great abdominal workout before I’m out the door in the morning, or weight train without spending an hour in the gym. I can see why celebrities like Carrie Underwood, Alicia Keyes, and Vanessa Williams like this guy: He can help you transform your body without taking over your life.
“The Wisdom of Menopause” by Dr. Christine Northrop. Finally, here’s a doctor who looks at menopause as a time that’s ripe with possibility, not something to be fought or feared. I love Dr. Northrop’s positive attitude, straight-talking manner, and clear, pragmatic advice about the shifts women experience during menopause. From self-image to sexuality, brain chemistry to hormone replacement therapy, it’s all in here.
“Fight Fat After Forty” by Dr. Pamela Peeke. This book breaks the bad news first: It explicitly details how stress and hormonal changes take a new (and often unflattering) toll on women’s bodies after forty. But it’s uphill from there: Peeke gives you ways to combat these changes through your attitude, diet, and of course, fitness regime. Like Kirsch, she’s a toughie—be warned, you will be getting off that chair—but like Pasternak, she realizes time is at a premium, so her fitness advice focuses on efficiency, not overextension.
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